


I Choose You

by miladydewinter



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Very fluffy, candlelit dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 18:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5058823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miladydewinter/pseuds/miladydewinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After banishing Rumple from Storybrooke, Belle goes to Ruby for help. Ruby is thus forced to deal with her feelings for her best friend before they hurt them both.</p>
<p>"She has everything organised, yet even so she still doesn’t feel prepared.</p>
<p>It all needs to be perfect, because she’s perfect, and she deserves this."</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Choose You

Belle arrived at Granny’s that night with tears still clouding her vision, though her jaw was set with determination.

Ruby had claimed one of the rooms upstairs as her own way back when the dark curse first struck, and Belle had visited it enough times for girly sleep-overs and movie nights to locate it, even in the dark.

She stands outside the door and wipes her eyes with the back of her left hand. The right still clutches Rumple’s dagger. She’s aware that she’s shaking. She probably looks a complete mess. Ruby won’t mind that, though.

She might mind being woken up…

No. No, Ruby said that if Belle ever needed her, she’d be there. And Belle sure as heck needs her right now.

She knocks.

There’s scuffling inside before the door opens, revealing Ruby. She’s wearing a scarlet dressing gown, her dark hair down and dishevelled.

“Belle?” she says in disbelief. “Are you alright? You look like hell.”

She’d been holding it together, but for some reason being asked how she’s feeling is all it takes for her to fall apart. Belle bursts into tears, allowing Ruby to step out into the hallway and envelope her in a tight hug. She buries her face in her best friend’s shoulder, barely registering when Ruby turns to call back into her room, “Victor, I think you’d better go.”

“I hope you feel better soon, Belle,” she looks up briefly and catches Dr. Whale walking down the hallway, struggling to fasten his belt. His hair is also rather dishevelled.

Interesting.

Ruby guides Belle into her room and kicks the door shut behind them. She releases her from her grip and nods towards the bed.

“Sit down,” she suggests. Belle pulls a face and Ruby laughs. “Okay, I get it. There’s a chair by the window. Drag it over, I’ll take the bed. You obviously need to talk.”

Belle does as requested, fiddling with her hands in her lap as Ruby walks across the room to grab a box of tissues before sitting on the edge of the bed closest to her.

“Tissue?” she holds the box out.

Belle takes one and wipes her eyes. “Thanks.”

“So what happened?” Ruby sets the tissue box down beside her and leans forward slightly, listening intently.

“I sent Rumple away,” Belle sniffs.

“Like, out the house?”

“Out of Storybrooke.”

“Oh,” then, a few seconds later, “ouch.”

Belle laughs at that, despite herself, though it comes out watery and short. “Yeah.”

Ruby’s quiet for a few seconds, and when Belle glances up at her she almost seems to be struggling to find the right words to say. Eventually, she settles with, “He wasn’t good enough for you, Belle.”

“I thought he was different,” Belle admits. “I thought he really loved me. When he gave me the dagger, I felt so special, it was like… like he trusted me with his life. But he lied to me. It wasn’t even the real dagger.”

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah,” she feels like she’s saying that word a lot tonight. “I guess I just realised today that no matter what I do, no matter how much I change for him, he’ll never love me as much as his power. I’m so fed up of just being cast aside. I just want to be chosen, for once. Over everything and everyone else. I just wanted him to say it didn’t matter, that he could lose it all and he wouldn’t care so long as we were together. That’s how I felt about him, but I guess…” she sighed, “I guess the light I saw in him was just me being hopeful.”

Ruby breaks the silence that follows Belle’s confession by leaning forward and tapping her knee gently, killing the glazed-over look in her eyes and bringing her back to reality.

“Room 32’s free. Want me to get the key for you?”

“Please,” Belle smiles gratefully as Ruby stands up and heads to the door. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” Ruby turns to smile back at her. “Wait here, I’ll be back in a sec.”

Five minutes later, Belle is settling under the duvet of the bed in room 32. Her coat is slung over the hook on the back of the door, her shoes kicked off by the window. Ruby sits on the bed beside her, twirling the key to the room on her index finger.

“It’s late,” she says, looking down at Belle, who has pulled the duvet up to her chin, her hair fanned around her head on the pillow. “I should get back to my room. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She goes to leave, but a hand flies out from beneath the covers and latches onto her wrist before she can get very far. She looks back at Belle, eyebrow raised with intrigue.

“Stay with me,” Belle practically whispers, “just until I’m asleep.”

Ruby sits back down and Belle releases her grip, pulling her arm back under the duvet and wriggling to get comfortable.

 

The next morning, Belle awakes to find Ruby gone, a note left on the bedside table. She leans across the bed to read it, smiling at the familiarity of the handwriting and tone:

‘Had to go. Granny gave me the morning shift today. Meet you downstairs- Ruby’

She rolls out of bed and looks down at the clothes she’s been wearing since yesterday. They’re creased, but they’ll do until she can get back to Rum- back to the shop, and a clean outfit.

She’s downstairs a few minutes later, coat slung over one arm. She sits down on a stool at the counter, and almost immediately a steaming mug of hot chocolate is pushed towards her.

“With cream,” Ruby says proudly, “just how you like it.”

“Thank you,” Belle raises the mug to her lips, blowing down on it before taking a sip. “God, that’s heavenly.”

Ruby grins, “I try.”

She’s called away to deal with a customer, leaving Belle to nurse her drink and peruse the breakfast menu in peace. When Ruby comes back, she’s settled on a simple cheese sandwich.

“I’ve just realised I have no money on me,” she says when Ruby returns with her food a short while later. “I can run back to the shop and fetch some now if you like. Or I can wait until I’ve eaten. How much do I owe you for the room?”

“Hey, woah, calm down,” Ruby puts a hand on Belle’s shoulder, steadying her. “It’s okay. I don’t expect you to pay for any of this.”

“But I-”

“You’re a friend,” Ruby cuts her off, “my best friend. This is what best friends do, Belle.”

“Won’t Granny be mad?”

“Let me handle Granny.”

The timer rings and Ruby excuses herself, disappearing into the kitchen to fetch whatever has just finished cooking. Belle watches her go and can’t help but realise that this is the first time in a long while someone has risked getting into trouble for her.

 

Ruby doesn’t enjoy being conflicted. She likes to know exactly what she’s feeling and why. For some reason, with Belle, it’s no longer that simple.

It used to be. Back when they first met, she really did just view her as a friend. But when Rumple began to change, for lack of a better word, it was Ruby Belle came to in tears. It was Ruby who dried her eyes and helped her reapply her make-up, Ruby who helped her prepare to face the outside world again, Ruby who walked her home.

And somewhere down the line, she couldn’t quite place where, she thinks she fell.

Suddenly the mere thought of Belle made her feel like she was physically glowing, and the gentlest accidental brush of her hand left a trail of fire against Ruby’s skin.

But you don’t fall for your best friend. You just don’t. And Victor had always been interested in her. He wasn’t bad-looking, and he was a nice guy. Granny approved. It made sense.

It made perfect sense right up until Belle interrupted them, and Ruby was forced to come to terms with how it didn’t make sense at all.

After her shift, she sends Belle back to Rumple’s old pawn shop (she offered to walk with her, but Belle insisted this was something she should do alone) and heads down to the hospital.

She talks to the receptionist, and maybe the desperation is clear in her voice because she arranges for Victor to come meet her as soon as he’s able.

“Is everything alright?” he asks, concerned, and she realises how this must look. Interrupting him at work in the middle of the day; he must expect the worst.

“I’m fine, it’s fine,” she brushes him aside. “I just… I don’t think we’re gonna work, Victor.”

He looks down at the floor, searching for the words he needs, before making eye contact with her. “I thought you might say that.”

“You’re a great guy, and I’m sure you’ll find someone eventually, it’s just I don’t think I’m the right one for you.”

“It’s Belle, isn’t it?”

The question catches her off-guard. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You love her,” he smiles sadly, “don’t you?”

“Maybe,” he raises an eyebrow at her and she can’t help but laugh, “okay, yes.”

“She’s been through a lot,” Victor says carefully, “but if anyone can help her get back on her feet it’s you. She’s a lucky woman.”

“She doesn’t know yet.”

“Then tell her.”

It’s Ruby’s turn to look at the floor, shuffle her feet nervously. “It’s not that simple.”

“Feelings never are.”

“And I really doubt it’s the right time, after what happened yesterday.”

“No time like the present.”

She looks back up at Victor and tries a smile. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“Don’t be.” He catches her when she moves forward to hug him, and when she pulls away he smiles back at her. “Go get her.”

“Tinkerbell’s still single,” she tells him pointedly, “might be worth looking into that one.”

She winks.

 

She has everything organised, yet even so she still doesn’t feel prepared.

It all needs to be perfect, because she’s perfect, and she deserves this.

Granny was less than happy at Ruby’s request to close the diner early until she revealed the reason, and then was eager to help. A text message had been sent to Belle, asking her if she wanted to meet up for dinner (thankfully she'd accepted), and then Ruby and Granny got to work.

When they're finished, Ruby glances at the clock. Five minutes until Belle is due to arrive.

“Go get changed,” Granny says, looking Ruby up and down. She still wears her waitress’ apron from this morning, and there's a ketchup stain on her shirt. “I’ll go upstairs, don’t worry.”

“I’m so nervous,” Ruby admits, wiping her sweaty palms on her thighs.

“I know,” Granny smiles proudly. “You’ll do great. Now. Knock her socks off.”

 

Belle arrives at Granny’s to find it appears to be shut. The lights are off, the diner is dark, and the sign on the window is turned to “closed”. She pulls out her phone and checks; Ruby definitely said to meet here. She tries the handle and finds the door swings open.

It shuts behind her, the bell above it chiming to mark her entry. She blinks, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

There are footsteps as someone comes down the stairs on the other side of the diner.

“You’re here,” Ruby’s voice cuts through the darkness. Of course her eyesight would be better than mine, Belle thinks, considering she’s a wolf and all. “Hold on a sec.”

She hears the flick of a switch and a hundred little fairy lights burst into life. They’re on the floor, a trail across the diner to the table furthest away from her, at the very back. There are footsteps as Ruby moves across the room.

“Follow them,” she instructs.

Belle does so, taking care not to step on the tiny little lightbulbs. They don’t reveal much except the floor and her shoes, so when she turns to reaches the table she has to put her hands on it and feel her way into one of the seats.

She hears the strike of a match and a flame flickers to life. Her jaw drops as she takes in everything spread out before her.

The table is scattered with rose petals. There’s a delectable-looking chocolate cake sat near the window, covered in swirls of brown icing. Ruby lights the candle at the centre of the table and blows the match out.

“I know it’s not exactly a healthy meal, but I figured, what the hell,” Ruby explains, in reference to the cake.

“It looks lovely,” Belle assures her.

Ruby cuts them both a slice each, placing them upon saucers and sliding one over to Belle, who thanks her and takes a bite.

“This is delicious,” she says, already raising her slice back to her mouth again for more. “Was this you or Granny?”

“Both,” Ruby’s eyes are cast down to the table. They’ve been refusing to meet hers since she entered the diner, Belle realises.

“Ruby, what is this?” she sets her cake down and puts her hands in her lap.

“You’re sad, and I’m your friend. This is what friends do.”

Belle isn’t buying it for a second. “There’s more to this than just that. You’ve been refusing to look at me since I arrived.”

Ruby raises her eyes slowly to meet hers, and for the first time Belle realises just how much care she’s put into her appearance tonight. Ruby often wears make-up, but she’s applied more than the usual red lipstick. There’s even a light splattering of glitter on her cheekbones, making them stand out in the candlelight.

“You can tell me anything, Ruby,” Belle reassures her gently.

Ruby closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I like you.”

“Well, of course you do, we’re friends.”

“No, not like that. Well, yes like that, but I- god, I’ve already messed this up- I think I’m in love with you, Belle.”

Consider Belle rendered speechless, because she is.

“I know it’s terrible timing,” Ruby continues, “but I can’t let you continue being my best friend without letting you know that. And if you never want to see me again after this, I understand. I understand you’re hurting and in pain and it was so selfish of me to bring this up at all, especially now, but I needed you to know.”

“What about Dr. Whale?” is Belle’s immediate response. Always thinking of others. That was just like her.

“I broke it off with him earlier,” Ruby explains. “He was sad, but he understands that when it came down to it, we just weren’t working out. I had a choice, Belle, and I chose this. You.”

Ruby readies herself for the heartbreak she knows is coming her way. She closes her eyes and waits for the click of heels against the tiles of the floor, the slamming of the door as it closes behind Belle and leaves her alone in the relative darkness.

They never come.

Instead, there’s a slight scuffling and then she feels the presence of someone sitting on the bench-seat beside her. She’s too afraid to open her eyes, terrified that it’s just her hopeful mind creating scenarios that will disappear the moment she tries to embrace them, but then there are fingers laced between hers.

“It’s not selfish at all,” Belle says gently, quietly, and Ruby feels her breath against her cheek. She keeps her eyes shut, though, still too afraid to open them. Afraid that if she does, it will be just in time to watch Belle leave. “I never really considered it before, but now… everything makes so much sense.”

Ruby’s breath catches in her throat as she dares herself to open her eyes. She finds Belle’s face much close to hers than it had been in her mind’s eye. She truly does look stunning in the candlelight. She’ll have to thank Granny for the suggestion later.

She leans a little closer to Belle, the tips of their noses brushing against each-other, but can’t find the courage to go any closer.

Belle, however, can, and suddenly her lips are on hers.

She pulls away after a few seconds, mild terror in her eyes.

“I’ve messed up your lipstick,” she whispers in a tone that would make one suggest she’d just confessed to murdering somebody.

“Screw my lipstick,” Ruby mumbles, leaning forward to capture her lips in a second kiss.  
Granny wakes up the next morning to find lights still on the diner floor, a mostly uneaten cake in the far corner, and a candle burned down to the wick.

Ready to give her granddaughter a stern talking to with regards to cleaning up after herself, she marches upstairs and opens the door to Ruby’s bedroom.

There, she finds her granddaughter, lying beneath the blankets with Belle’s head resting upon her chest. There’s a hand in Belle’s hair, another on her waist, and Granny can’t help but smile at the sight.

It seems last night went well, then.

Her anger dissolved, she tiptoes from the room and closes the door behind her as quietly as possible. It’s not the worst state the diner’s been left in, she supposes, and there are still a few hours before the place even opens.


End file.
